Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 16
"Towards Tomorrow"

I knock on the door to Kurenai's apartment. It's a cozy little place, nothing like the minimalist settings that people imagine shinobi live in. A sparse, colourless environment is no place for a person to live, especially someone who risks their lives for the sake of others time and time again.

But then, Naruto's place isn't that great, is it...probably on account of him being an orphan and presumably not needing much. Well, I'm taking care of that end now.

The door opens to a familiar face.

"Hey, look who's here."

"A lovely afternoon to you, Mister Sarutobi."

Asuma smiles and gives me a hug, which I return easily. The smell of smoke is much lighter on him than usual, which only makes sense. He does have a little one on the way now. Nothing about him has changed, from what I can tell. The usual flak jacket isn't on his person, so I assume he's been relaxing here for a while today at the least.

"Welcome back, Lili. Guess you heard the news and wanted to pop by, eh?"

"I did indeed. My intention was to visit on my return, but as you must have heard by now, more than a few things came up."

"Yeah, Shino gave us the message before he left. You were out in the Sand kicking serious ass...took down an S-Ranker in Akatsuki with Guy, right? How's the Kazekage doing?"

"Perfectly fine. We brought him home without incident, and the only thing he had to deal with was exhaustion. We went one for two on our targets, unfortunately."

"That'll happen. Anyway, come in and take a load off. Your big sis has been longing to see you."

"Like hell," I hear a voice call back.

He chuckles. "See what I mean?"

"As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. I've dearly missed my beloved sensei," I say as I step inside. My sandals come off, and I walk the short distance towards the couch with Asuma. "Hopefully you two have been finding other ways to keep yourselves occupied."

"I've been keeping busy, yeah. Outside of the home, too."

"It figures. You couldn't even wait until I got back before knocking her up."

He raises a brow. "Didn't know we were on a schedule."

"It's called being courteous. To me, of course."

I hear the shuffling of slippers from the kitchen. "You've managed to become ten times the diva since you left. Wasn't that trip supposed to make you wiser and more humble, things like that?" she calls out.

"I don't remember telling you that, so you've gone and disappointed yourself for no reason."

Asuma chuckles and shakes his head.

"Something about how the more things change, the more they stay the same. Yeah, my fault for hoping you'd become less of a brat."

Kurenai finally steps into view. She wears a simple green dress, her pregnant belly pushing out against it. There's a subtle change in her eyes, and I can see the softness of her face. She looks radiant, like a mother should. I'm so happy to see it.

"I missed you," I say.

"Yeah. I missed you too. Welcome home, Lili."

I step forward and give her a warm hug.

"Thank you. You look lovely, and I don't mean that as a tease. Motherhood is making you glow."

"It's a good thing you added that disclaimer, or else I'd have to hit you," she says with a blush. "Thanks. I mean that...and I've honestly enjoyed this time a lot. Life always has its ups and downs, and this was no different. But there are a lot more ups than downs, I can say that much. About four weeks to go."

"Shino said as much..."

Kurenai takes my hand, and then takes a seat on the couch. "I figured you would want to listen to the little one yourself."

"Yes. Is it really okay?"

"Of course it is. Take your time."

I nod and get to my knees, then press my head against Kurenai's stomach. In this calm and silence, I can feel everything. The energy flowing through the air, and the vibrations rumbling between all of us. To most people, this would be faint.

But I can feel this child.

Slow movements. A heartbeat. Breathing. How wonderful...a tiny life, almost fully formed and ready to present itself to the world.

"Beautiful."

"I knew you'd think so," she says. I look up to see Kurenai smiling. She looks so happy, I have to wonder if she could go back to her old life...but then, she must have things that she wants to accomplish as a kunoichi. Well, we can see about that in time. What's important is bringing this child safely into the world.

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Asuma and I decided we'd leave it as a surprise. We're not too fussy, after all...but I think he wants to be a girl dad more than anything."

"Ah, I wouldn't mind if it was a boy."

"But you would prefer a girl," I say to him.

"I would prefer a girl. Happy?"

"Very. So. I assume you have names picked out for either outcome."

"Well...we haven't figured out a boy's name yet."

"Right. Something to go alongside Mirai, isn't that correct?"

"Eh?"

"Hold on, how did you even figure that out?" Kurenai asks me. "We haven't told anyone yet. At least, I haven't."

"Me either," Asuma says with his hands raised.

"What is in a name, friends? Surely the precious things given to you by your fathers would be passed down, whether consciously or otherwise." I smile and press a hand to Kurenai's stomach. "After all, it was the same for myself and Mama. That name, Rosemary Minerva...from the hearts of two people who wanted to remember the past, and create a bright future for their little one. It would be the same for someone who was blessed to look towards tomorrow, and the truth it holds."

"Man." Asuma scratches his head in disbelief. "We can't put anything past you, can we."

"Say that twice. Got a brain in there that's grown twice as fast as her body, somehow," Kurenai says. "Speaking of that, you're getting way too saucy with these outfits of yours. I should have mentioned that before we got all sentimental."

"Hmhm." I stand up and do a twirl for my hosts. "That sounds like a seal of approval to me. Shino and Hina like it."

"That's because you've corrupted them both. Hinata, especially. No way she got to that stage with a few bottles of milk a day alone..."

"I detect a hint of jealousy. Not to worry, you'll-"

"Hold it. I know about the pregnancy breast stuff already, so don't get too excited."

"It worked out for Mama."

"Yeah, we saw. She was on the cover of one of those magazines Asuma scoops up for me from time to time. Was she actually doing photo shoots while pregnant?"

I make a zipping motion across my lips. She pouts at me.

"You suck."

"I love you too, Kurenai."

She stands up and rustles my hair. "Gonna get something to eat. Being bullied works up an appetite."

"A lot of things do these days," Asuma quips.

"Keep that up and you'll be sleeping on the couch. I mean it this time, not like the other hundred times. I'll get something for you guys too, I guess. It'll be a few minutes, so you guys can talk or whatever. Oof..."

"We're gonna go for a walk. Don't worry about us, we can order in if anything."

"Yeah. See you in a bit."

"She's gonna chew through everything on her own," Asuma says to me. "And she'll still be starving when we get back, so might as well."

"Good. I had something for you to enjoy outside either way."

"Yeah? Cool. I had something I wanted to talk to you about myself. Get into whatever fits near the door, don't worry too much about it."

I step into a pair of fluffy pink slippers and follow Asuma out of the apartment, down to the front entrance. There's a wooden bench nearby, and we take a seat on it together.

"Boy, oh boy. What a time..."

I gently stay his hand as he goes for a cigarette.

"Aw, come on. We're outside, aren't we?"

"I know you've been responsible enough, Asuma. Which is why I have something for you as a gift." I reach into my jacket pocket and take out a flat wooden case. "I think we can guess what's in here, yes?"

"No way. Seriously?" He chuckles and takes the case from me before opening it. "Wow. These ones are a hassle to get a hold of."

"And I'll have something even nicer once the baby is born. Here, let me get that for you."

"Thanks."

I take one of the cigars from its case, and use one of my knives to properly cut away the cap. Asuma gently takes it from my hand and uses his lighter carefully on the cigar end, toasting it while taking two measured puffs. He then leans back in his seat and blows out smoke, sighing with satisfaction.

"Damn, that's good. Haven't had anything like it in a while...thanks, Lili."

"Not a problem. I think you've earned that much."

"Heh. Kurenai would say otherwise, but you know how she is."

"Indeed."

He takes another puff on the cigar. "So I wanted to have a sort of serious chat with you, and ask something at the end. Nothing too heavy. I've just been thinking about a lot of things over the years. Getting ready to become a father is...it's different, I'll say that much."

"A learning experience," I say.

"Yeah. That, and a lot of other things. My dad and I haven't always seen the world the same way. I actually got into it with him and disappeared for a while...got myself that nice gig while I was at it."

"The Guardian Shinobi. And of course, you have a 35 million bounty on your head as a result."

"I'm a little proud of it. Obviously small potatoes compared to yours, but...it's about 5 million more than my buddy Chiriku's, so I can live with that. But...yeah. I did a lot of wandering, and fighting, and thinking. I came back to the village and patched things up with the old man, became a part of the regular forces again, got into teaching...well, I honestly have a point I'm trying to make."

"Yes, of course. Take your time."

"I never had anything other than respect for my dad. As a person, as the Hokage...bad habits aside, of course."

"Of course," I say with a smile.

"He really is the coolest guy, honestly. And I'm proud to be his son, a member of the Sarutobi Clan. I've been able to understand his decisions better, how he thinks about the village, about raising the next generation...trying to balance kindness with the overwhelming strength at his command, and being a good leader. Learned a lot just from watching him." He puffs on the cigar a few times. "I've come to understand some important things. And more than that, understand which of those important things is the most important of all. You play shogi at all?"

"Not much. I've never really been one for games like that," I say. "You play a lot with Shikamaru, of course."

"Yeah."

"Life lessons are filtered through the game itself, then?"

"Yup. That's how I figured out Shikamaru wasn't a complete vegetable. Ran a little test while he wasn't paying attention to anything outside the match. Where was I...right. So like you said, we can liken people to shogi pieces. Makes sense so far, right?"

"Yes."

"Shikamaru resembles a knight. Flexible, able to move around opponents and reposition himself...not the most powerful piece, but one of the more unpredictable ones. Combined with other pieces on the board, it can do some pretty incredible things."

"That sounds just like him. What about yourself?"

"Me?" He takes a few more puffs on the cigar before blowing out more smoke. "Just a simple pawn."

"Oh, please."

"I'm not being modest or anything here. I just keep moving forward, knocking people out until I get far enough to be promoted."

"That would be poetic if it weren't so self-depreciating."

"As for you..."

"Yes?" I ask, curious.

"You're definitely a rook. A ranging piece. Someone only limited by the dimensions of the board and the pieces in your path. If it's an enemy, you move straight ahead and mow them down. And if it's a friend, you pause for their sake. You're the strongest piece around, and the one on the board with the most value." He chuckles a bit and relights the cigar. "Though, if we're being realistic, you're way more like a dragon king. Moving around like a promoted piece in a sea of regulars."

"I can see how it happened now."

"How what happened?"

"You seducing Kurenai so quickly while I was gone."

He laughs and shakes his head. "Spicy doesn't even begin to describe you sometimes, Lili."

"So we're all pieces on the shogi board called life, are we?"

"Mm-hm. Which is where I bring in the question I wanted to ask you. Shikamaru hasn't figured it out yet, but he has way less life experience than you do, so it makes sense. I think you'll get it faster than either of us did. As you know, the king is the most important piece in the game. So in this game of life...if I'm a pawn, Shikamaru's a knight, and you're a rook..."

"..."

He turns his head to look at me. "Do you know who the king is, Lili?"

"The king..."

The first and most obvious answer is the Hokage.

Which is why I know it's not the right answer. So...why not?

The goal in shogi, like its counterpart in chess, is for one player to checkmate the other player's king. Applied to real life terms, it would be the same as enemy forces trapping an important person in a desperate situation. But from that alone...the king wouldn't be the Hokage. Asuma must have thought it so, once upon a time.

But the Hokage is almost always the strongest person in the village, with a variety of abilities at their disposal and means of escape. The king, while the most important piece, can only move one square in any direction. It lacks the mobility of the knight, or the range of the rook. And most importantly...a village does not die as soon as its Kage does. Hashirama was succeeded by Tobirama. Tobirama was succeeded by Hiruzen. Hiruzen was succeeded by Minato, and took the mantle up again when Minato died protecting the village. The king is someone, or something that would put an end to everything if lost.

The most important piece, and at the same time, the most vulnerable. It needs other pieces of all types to protect it. Every other piece can be captured and even brought back. But the king...it's something that can't be replaced.

Who...or what, rather.

"Ah."

"You got something?"

It was something that Asuma realized only now...reminiscing on memories of his father. Becoming one himself...yes, I think I see it.

"The most irreplaceable piece...something that stops the flow of everything else if it should disappear." I look to Asuma and smile. "Mirai, isn't it? The ones born and unborn...the future of this village. That is who the king is."

"I expected you to figure it out quickly, but not that quickly. Took me wandering all of Fire Country and getting myself a woman to figure that out..." He shakes his head again. "Unbelievable. Guess that solves it, then."

"Solves what?"

"That question was a little test, not that I really needed one for you...but I wanted to see your thought process, just a bit. Aside from making a fantastic Hokage one day soon, I wanted to ask you to look after our child. Kurenai and I would like for you to be their godmother."

I blink. "Surely, you could..."

"Shikamaru is going to be the other half, soon as I ask him. He'll grumble and complain about it, but eventually he'll say yes. I know there are a lot of people I could ask, but...you two just seemed like the best ones. Shikamaru is close to me, and Kurenai is close to you. Things can happen to either of us...Kurenai is weighing whether or not she wants to get back into service in the next few years. Even if it's just me that disappears, she'll still need all the help she can get. We have a great network of people, just between the old teams Eight and Ten. Ino, Choji, Hinata, Shino...but it's you two we want up front most of all. The people you chose to love have all grown up beautifully, Lili. They've all become confident and loving, selfless people. And they've passed those good things on to everyone around them. I couldn't think of anyone but you to take our place if need be."

"To have that much confidence in me...it won't go to waste, I promise you that," I say firmly. "Asuma, I accept. I'll do everything I can to help guide and protect your 'king'."

He gives me a bright smile. "Good. You don't have to do too much, you know. Just being there when you can is enough. I'm sure you'll have more and more on your plate as the days go by. You've got that orphanage on its way up, right?"

"Right. But I can make time for everyone, even then. Thank you, both of you, for trusting me with your child's future."

"Hey, if I didn't think you were worthy of it, I wouldn't ask." He takes a few more puffs on the cigar as it turns into a tiny stump, then pulls a small cylinder out of his pocket and drops it in. "That was smooth. And you said you had something better for when the baby was born. Can't wait."

"Really. Is that all you can think of?"

He chuckles again and pats my back gently. "C'mon, Auntie Lili. Let's see how much of the fridge Mom has devoured while we were away. Almost had to make her stone soup the other day. With actual stones."

"The appetites of pregnant women are mysterious, aren't they."

"Man...couldn't have said it better. You like butter chicken? I know a place that delivers."

"Ooh. I was thinking about that the other day, you know. Let's make ourselves an order, then. And I have to give Kurenai her gift, too."

We stand up and start our walk inside.